Improvement in apparatus for rendering fats and deodorizing the gases



H. S. FIRMAN. r Apparaft-us for Rendering Fats and Debdorizi ng theGass.

NO. 136,827 Patented-March18,1873.

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HENRY s. FIRMAN, or nnw roan, N. Y. 7

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR RENDERING FATS AND DEODORI ZING THE GASES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 136,827, dated March18, 1873.

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. FIRMAN, in the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RenderingApparatus for rendering tallow, lard, and all kinds of animal fats andtissues, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists in a method of con structing rendering apparatus,by which steam andhot aircan be advantageously employedin combination,and in the devices and arrangements for carrying their combinedapplication into practice, as hereinafter described.

Figure l is a central vertical section of my improved renderingapparatus, and the airheating furnace; also showing the gas-seal asconnected therewith when the apparatus is employed for the production ofilluminatinggas; Fig. 2, a transverse section of the furnace on the line3 -y of Fig. 1, being partly broken toshow the interior of theperforated pipe P and retort P.

The accompanying drawing represents a steam-tight cylinder or digester,A, made of boiler-iron, with a lining throughout, except at the top,(or, if preferred, it may also be lined at the top,) of the samematerial which makes it equivalent to an ordinary jacketed tank but ifit is preferred to admit the steam directly into the interior of thecylinder the lining or jacket may be dispensed with, and the ordinaryWilson tank may be employed, the latter. being simply a singlesteam-tight iron cylinder or digester. set in brick-work, but bypreference I coverit with felt or composition to prevent loss of heat byradiation. It is provided with a filling-hole, B, at the top, and with adischarginghole,O, at the'bottom. It is also suitably provided withcocks D D D D D, for drawing off the melted fat and water, and with acock, E, for drawing off condensed water from the jacket. I is the pipeby which the steam from the boiler is admitted into the jacket when thedouble cylinder is used, and into the inside of the digester when thesingle tank is used. At or about the center of the digester, I place aheated air-drum, J, communicating, by the pipe, K with furnace L, bywhich pipe the drum is supplied with theheated air. I provide the heatedair-drum with a thermometer, M, by means of which the temperature Thisdigester maybe within can at all times be ascertained by extern alobservation.

My mode of destroying the foul gases evolved during the process ofrendering, is to pass them through the pipe E into a condenser, G, whichis provided with a suitable'coiL immersed in water for partialcondensation, and thence lead them into the furnace L, discharging themthrough a perforated delivery retort or pipe, P, into the fire, to beburned. In some cases, (that is, Whenever the character of the materialunder treatment will warrant, and when for any reason it may bedesirable,) instead of delivering the vapors through the perforatedretort or pipe P, I provide, adjacent thereto, a closed retort, P,whichthen makes'it equivalent to an ordinary gasretort. I then heat thisretort to a suitable temperature, and thus convert thepartiallycondensed foul gases and vapors from the rendering apparatusinto a gas for illuminating or heating purposes and when I desire togive to the gas thus manufactured a higher degree of illuminating orheating power, I combine with these gases and vapors in the retort asuitable proportion of fallow, grease, scrap, wood, oil, or any materialfrom which gas for illuminating or heating purposes may be manufactured.By these means the vapors evolved in the digester may be utilized,instead of being merely consumed in the furnace. I also place charcoal,or its equivalent, in the retort for the purpose of deo'dorizing thenoxious gases and vapors, as well as to facilitate the manufacture ofthe gas for illuminating and heating purposes. I place at as'uitablepoint between condenser G and furnace L, a fanblower I, orother equivalent device, to facilitate and" hasten the removal of vaporsand gases from the digester, and force them into the discharge-pipe P,to be consumed in the furnace; also to create a circulation of airthrough the heated-air drum J by exhausting a portion through the pipeS, the place of which is immediately filled by the expansion of thatcontained in the air-chamber 0 in the furnace. The deliy'ery-pipe P andretort P, I make either of fire-clay, or its equivalent, or of iron, andprovide perforations i i in the former, in order to distribute the gasesin small jets and insure a proper presentation thereof to the fire, soas to insure their perfect combustion and the complete destruction ofall noxious and offensive odors.

The destruction of the noxious gases may be effected equally well byleading them into the boiler-furnace, but by preference I use for thispurpose the same furnace which I employ for heating the air supplied tothe air-drum J. This furnace Llis constructed in the lower part (that isto say, the ash-pit, grate-bars, and flues,) in the ordinary manner; butthe upper part I construct as a heating-chamber, in which the airsupplied to the drum J is heated to a suitable temperature for thepurpose required. This chamber may be made of fireclay, or equivalentmaterial, or of iron, and may be square or other form, but is preferablycylindricai,and covers the entire fire-space over the furnace, except aspace, X, left in front for an air-flue. A pipe, K, conducts the hot airto the drum J Fresh air is supplied to the heati n g-ohamber by theblower I, or it is taken directly from the fire-chamber L of the furnacewhen the fire is in such a condition as not to evolve much smoke. Inthis case the damper t is kept open, allowing the heated air and gasesof combustion to ascend through the flue X and enter the chamber 0. Theexpansion of the air by heating in the chamber 0 will generatesufficient force to drive it into the drum J, but I provide for itsregular supply thereto, and a steady circulation through the same, bymeans, first, of the pipe S, from the top of the drum, through which theaction of the blower slowlyexhansts a portion of the contents of thedrum, the equivalent of which will be constantly flowing in from thechamber 0 to maintain an equilibrium; secondly, by allowing a small partto escape by opening the stop-cock 1" through a pipe communicating withthe chimney, causing an inflow from the chamber 0 to maintain theuniformity of temperature. I also introduce a pipe, U, which takes hotair from the chamber 0, and leading it into the pipe T for mixture withthe condensed gases before they enter the furnace,

thereby insuring their perfect combustion. On the bottom, or lowest partof the cylindrical air-heater, 0, I place my perforated dischargepipe P,through which the foul gases are delivered into the fire, or closedretort for making the illuminating-gas, as previously described. On eachside, parallel with and a short distance from this retort and perforatedpipe in the chamber of the furnace, I place a downwardly-projectingmolding or curtain, Q, leaving an open space between. These are for thepurpose of checking the gases when issuing from the perforated pipe intothe furnace to .be burned. These moldings or projections maybe increasedin number and size, if

desired. At the front end of the cylinder I drop a curtain or molding,preferably of a semicircular shape, or approximating to that of theheater, it being shown in cross-section at B, Fig. 1, and its form andposition indicated by the dotted lines B, Fig. 2. The office of thiscurtain is to check the flame and products of combustion, and cause themto circulate around the under surface of the heater before escapingeither by the ordinary flues v 'v v or the air-passage X. The pipe S isconnected with the heated air-drum in the digester, and has its terminalend or nozzle 8 inserted in the pipe T, through which the foul gases arefed to the furnace, the suction of the blower I acting as an exhaust onthe pipe S, also. A drip-cock, w, is provided to the pipe T for theWithdrawal of any water which may, condense therein.

I claim as my invention 1. Forming the arch or upper portion of thefurnace with one or more downward or downwardly-inclined projections, QQ, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with the furnace L and heating-chamber O, thehot-airflue X, for conveying the heated air and gaseous products of the furnacedirectly into the heating-chamber, substantially as set forth.

3. The retort, or delivery-pipe P, either perforated or close, arrangedalong the top and center of the furnace L, as and for the purposes setforth.

4. Mixing hot air from the drum J with the vapors and gases evolved inthe renderingtank, before burning in the furnace, as set forth.

5. The shield or curtain R, in combination with the furnace L, andheating-chamber O, for checking the flames and heated products untilperfect combustion has occurred, substantially as set forth.

6. The arrangement of the pipe U for withdrawing air from theheating-chamber O and mingling it with the condensed vapors and gasesbefore burning the same, substantially as set forth. 7

7. The use of charcoal, or its equivalent, in the retort, as adeodorizer of the noxious gases and vapors from a rendering apparatus,as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY S. FIRMAN.

Witnesses:

J. FRASER, CHARLES M. HIGGINS.

